Canon Rebel T1i and Rebel XSi Comparison - Digital Camera Digital Camera: Canon Rebel T1i and Rebel XSi Comparison

Friday, July 17, 2009

Canon Rebel T1i and Rebel XSi Comparison

With the recently announced Canon Digital Rebel T1i becoming available in April 2009, many prospective Digital SLR buyers are finding it difficult to decide between the Rebel T1i and the Rebel XSi cameras. Canon's 9 point Autofocus system and 35 Zone Evaluative Metering system also remains unchanged.

The very useful EOS Integrated Cleaning system and Dust Delete Data Detection has also been implemented in both cameras. Highlight Tone Priority Mode is available in both cameras, but implemented slightly differently on the T1i - it has in essence remained the same however. Both cameras are sold with the same kit lens, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 IS and as usual, both cameras are fully compatible with the Canon EF and EF-S range lenses.

The most obvious difference between the XSi and the T1i is the APS-C CMOS Sensor that has been upgraded from 12.2 Megapixels in the XSi to 15.1 Megapixels in the T1i. The T1i boasts with the relatively new DIGIC 4 processor which is far quicker than it's predecessor the DIGIC III which is found in the XSi. This processor unlocks what is probably the most exciting feature of the T1i - Full HD video recording. This single feature improves the versatility of the T1i over the XSi by a wide margin and very soon we will see high quality videos of babies and kids birthday parties all over the internet. Although not a replacement for a proper video camera yet, this feature at least reduces the number of occasions when both a SLR and video camera has to be lugged around.

Another advantage of the DIGIC 4 processor is the T1i's ability to shoot up to 170 large JPEGS continuously, compared to the 53 of the XSi. Sports photographers or parents shooting their children's football game will definitely appreciate this feature.

Although the LCD screens are the same size, the 920 000 pixel resolution on the screen of the T1i is significantly better than the 230 000 pixel resolution of the XSi LCD screen. This improves menu legibility in less than ideal conditions and improves the image display and live view accordingly. This feature, together with the improved noise reduction on the T1i unlocks shooting possibilities for the photographer that would have been lost with the XSi. Together, these features enable the photographer to shoot under darker conditions than before.

The T1i sells for approximately $799 (body only) or $899 (with kit lens), compared to $580 and $699 for the XSi. Are the new features of the T1i worth the additional $200? If I had to buy my first DSLR right now, I'd probably go for the T1i.

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